Comfort
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: "I told you, there's nothing you can do about it. Just shut up… It's none of your business…" "Um, actually you're my roommate now, so like it or not, it is my business!" Laura protested, raising her voice to a level Carmilla had never heard from her before. It was a little startling, but she could discern that the high pitch was due to the girl's concern. Concern for her.


**I caved and wrote another Carmilla fic. Sorry for OOC-ness.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Carmilla.**

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><p>Comfort<p>

Fucking hell.

Something was _definitely_ wrong.

Carmilla could feel a sickening sensation twisting in her stomach all night long. She'd only been out for a few hours, but every step seemed to further agitate her ailments, sending little shockwaves through her body.

It was like being pricked repeatedly and insistently by thorns from the inside out. Her veins were crawling with dissonance, and the overall discomfort level was high enough to have her retreating back to her dorm room before very much longer.

She all but limped through the hallways, one hand clutching the strap of her bag until her knuckles ran white, the other holding her stomach. One fang dug into her lower lip and every breath was a huff.

It was unbecoming, and she was disgusted with herself for displaying such a side of herself.

She could remember the last time this had happened, about a hundred years ago, and she'd been painstakingly careful all this time not to let it happen again.

But evidently, she'd been careless, and now she was paying for it.

She thought that – just perhaps – being around Laura's carefree and generally more positive atmosphere would be better than most other things she could think of. It was about 2AM now, so the girl was likely asleep and therefore unable to bombard her with pesky questions.

It felt like an eon before she finally arrived at the correct door, and Carmilla reached for the knob. She hissed when she found it locked, but refused to knock and risk waking her roommate.

So she was forced to fumble through her bag for her key, noting how her fingers trembled from such a simple action.

It was shameful.

The door opened with a click, and Carmilla stepped in and closed it behind her as quietly as possible.

The lights were out, and the sounds of soft snoring reached her ears. She made sure there were no…_unwelcome_ guests inside before retreating to her bed.

She'd only meant to put down her bag, but then a dizzy spell caused her to trip on it, and she landed on her bed. The mattress bounced, causing her stomach to lurch and flip along with the motion; it was impossible to hold back another curse.

"_Shit_…"

It fucking _hurt._ She'd only ever experienced this pain once before, and now she remembered why she'd been so intent to prevent it ever since.

Her voice must have carried, because she heard Laura stir.

Carmilla pushed a hand to her mouth, partially to keep any more sounds from escaping, and partially to keep anything _else_ from escaping.

But another sleepy moan told her it was all over.

She watched through the darkness as Laura sat up and flicked on her bedside lamp. Her hair was frazzled and her pajama clothes were ruffled from slumber, her eyes blinking open sleepily as she rubbed them.

Carmilla quickly looked away, her mind too fuzzy to be able to think of anything else she could possibly do.

She'd been found out. There was no escape now.

Part of her felt this was inevitable, like the fates had cursed her not only to live forever, but for _this girl_ to be present for just about _every_ embarrassing event in Carmilla's life at present.

There was a yawn first before Laura cast her gaze to her roommate, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Carmilla? You're back early. What- whoa!"

As she got a good look at the other girl, Laura noticed just how pale she was. Ten times more so than usual. Her face was turned away, but Laura could tell her skin was stark white, a livid, sickly pallor.

It put her into "mother bear mode" instantly.

"Oh my god! What happened to you?" She threw the blankets off herself and stood, prepared to go to her roommate; vampire or not, she was still a person. Kind of. Either way, she was in pain.

Therefore, Laura couldn't help but want to do something for her. It was in her nature.

She took a step toward her roommate, but a growl stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't bother. There's nothing _you_ can do about it…"

A lie. Just hearing Laura's voice and breathing the same air seemed to calm the turmoil in Carmilla's chest, just a little bit.

It was a lie, but she hoped it was convincing enough.

Talking hurt.

Breathing hurt.

Fucking _everything_ hurt.

She just wanted to lay down…

But of course Laura couldn't keep quiet.

"Okay, maybe there's nothing I can do, but we've got to do _something_. You look like you're about to keel over. God, maybe you _are_…" She could only remember seeing Carmilla like this once before – when she'd starved her under false pretenses.

The vampire girl's body kept jolting in much the same way now, almost spastically, and Laura was starting to panic.

"Oh, ooookay, um, we should- aaahhh no, no, no we can't go to the nurse. What am I gonna say? 'Hi! My vampire roommate isn't feeling so well, can you help her?' Um, um!" She was hopping back and forth from one foot to the other as she thought frantically.

Carmilla slowly turned her head, wincing slightly as another pang ran through her stomach.

"I… nn… I told you, there's nothing you can do about it. Just shut up… It's none of your business…"

"Um, actually you're my roommate now, so like it or not, it _is_ my business!" Laura protested, raising her voice to a level Carmilla had never heard from her before. It was a little startling, but she could discern that the high pitch was due to the girl's concern.

Concern for _her_.

Carmilla might have smiled for a quick second before another groan tumbled past her lips.

The sound sent Laura into action.

"Um… Oh! Your blood- er… soy milk! I'll get you some of that-"

"No."

The denial had Laura freezing on her way to the mini fridge. She glanced back over her shoulder at the dark-haired girl.

"What? But last time this happened you-"

"This isn't… the same as being _starved _by some misguided humans," she grunted. There was a beat of silence for Laura to repent to herself as she slowly walked back to the beds, a foot or so closer to Carmilla's now.

"So then… what's happening to you?" Her voice was tentative, but not scared; she was determined to help _somehow_.

The vampire huffed another breath, and it took a second for her to find her voice again.

"Damn… AB negative…"

"…What?"

"I'm allergic to it," Carmilla snapped. "It's a fairly rare blood type, so I don't come across it often. I can tell right away if a person has it, so I'd stay away from them. But if it's mislabeled in a bag… Ahh, _shit_…" Another twang shot through her chest, and she hunched over, dark tresses spilling over her shoulders as she curled in on herself.

"Carmilla?" Laura shot forward instantly, fingertips ghosting over the girl's shoulder. Heat wafted from Carmilla's body, and it almost made her recoil. She hadn't missed the trickle of blood dripping down her roommate's lip.

Laura sucked in a breath through her teeth, trying to think clearly, but ultimately arriving with no surefire solution to all of this.

"Are you _totally _sure there's _nothing_ I can do to help?"

It took Carmilla a moment to get her bearings – however many of those she had left to gather, that is. She panted, swallowing hard, fighting back the stinging bile that threatened to rise up her throat.

"M-Maybe…" she stammered. "You could get me to the bathroom…"

Laura was dismayed by the answer, but she quickly realized it was the only thing she could do. It was _something_, and that was better than nothing.

"Okay."

A quick, decisive nod, her tone certain and unfaltering.

Gently, she pried Carmilla's arm away from her stomach and draped it across her shoulders. She knew if it had been any other situation, Carmilla would have bitten her head off – maybe literally – for touching her.

So for the vampire girl to not make so much as one sound of complaint…

Laura knew she was in a _lot_ of pain.

"Come on…" She urged the girl off of her bed slowly and slipped her free arm across Carmilla's back to her hip, holding her up as best she could.

Being so close to her now, Laura could feel for herself just how thin the other girl was.

_Guess there's only so much muscle you can get from only drinking blood…_

It was a gradual process just to stand, but walking was an even more tedious task.

The bathroom wasn't far, but Carmilla was so weak that Laura had to shorten her steps to compensate. She could feel the dark-haired girl shaking, and knew this was twice as bad as they time she'd been deprived of blood. Her roommate's breath was heavy, and Carmilla couldn't even try to protest or complain.

"Come on," Laura encouraged her. "We're almost there. Don't give up on me…"

It was a lot of coaxing and soft words that eventually managed to get her to the bathroom door, and Laura paused for a moment to flick the light on.

But one tiny misstep resulted in a dangerous shift of weight, and Carmilla lost whatever balance she'd managed to hold onto until now. She fell forward, and Laura dove quickly to support her, stopping her from colliding with the floor headfirst.

"Ohhh gosh, no, no, please no!" she squeaked. "Easy now, _easy_…"

With Laura's help, Carmilla righted herself as much as she could, and together the two girls finally made it to the toilet. Laura let her down slowly, and Carmilla sunk to her knees, the occasional whimper slipping out.

All of this was so uncharacteristic for Carmilla that it only served to worry Laura further. She lifted the toilet seat, knowing what was likely to come.

She only left her roommate's side for a split second to wet a clean washcloth with cool water and wring it out a bit. She knelt down beside Carmilla and slowly reached forward, somewhat nervous she'd have her hand smacked away.

But Carmilla's eyes were half-lidded from the pain she was experiencing, and she didn't have the strength to shoo Laura away; even if she did, Laura didn't think she would.

So she patted the cloth over Carmilla's forehead, collecting the sweat that had beaded in a thin veil there. Slowly, Laura slid the cloth over her temples, then down the sides of her neck and to her collar. Laura's free hand went to her back and rubbed gently, in what she hoped to be cajoling motions.

It was… uncanny how she could feel Carmilla's pulse. It was pounding hard and fast, and Laura frowned, knowing all too well the feelings her roommate was going through.

Carmilla had spoken like she'd felt this before, but that could have been a lifetime ago, for all Laura knew. Certainly the pain was so infrequent and with such a great amount of time in between that her body had failed to build up any kind of immunity to it.

It certainly wasn't a condition she'd ever expect to see Carmilla in, but since this was the reality, Laura did her best to make it better.

It was about five more minutes of shallow, painful breathing, and even more trembling on Carmilla's part. Laura continued to rub her back, hoping all of this would simply pass over…

But they weren't that lucky.

There was a sharp intake of air as Carmilla's breath hitched, and Laura immediately knew. She pulled the girl's hair back for her, keeping it behind her shoulders, patting between her shoulder blades with one hand as the other rested on Carmilla's collar in an effort to keep her up.

Laura looked away, forced to listen as the girl retched whatever breakfast and lunch she'd eaten that day.

But even stronger than the scent of bile was an even more pungent smell, one that was all-too familiar with her vampire roommate.

Laura's head snapped back around to Carmilla's face, and she was appalled to find her nose had been correct.

Blood spewed from her roommate's mouth, staining the white porcelain dark red. It was an alarming amount, and Laura couldn't stop herself from shrieking.

"Oh my god! Oh my god, y-you're bleeding!"

The sounds alone were sickening, and Carmilla's desperate breaths weren't helping. Laura was paralyzed with shock, unsure of what she could possibly do in this situation. She could only continue to rub her roommate's back, wincing when she felt the rapid hammering of Carmilla's heart beneath her palms. "Oh god, oh _god_…" she mumbled. "J-Just hang in there, _please, Carmilla_…"

The sound of Laura saying her name always seemed to have an effect on her. The knot in her stomach had uncurled at long last, and the relief that vomiting brought was worth all the retching.

It was only a few more seconds before all the bad blood had been expelled, along with the contents of her stomach. When it was finally over, it felt like it had never even happened; if not for the pool of blood staring her in the face and the shortness of breath, Carmilla might have thought it had all been in her head.

But she couldn't imagine all that blood, nor could she imagine those gentle hands on her back and chest.

She heard Laura sigh as the girl continued to rub her back, and Carmilla couldn't deny to herself that it felt nice. A hell of a lot nicer than anything else she'd felt tonight.

Another minute passed, and it was full of harsh breathing. Her lungs ached when they were filled, and trembled when they exhaled.

She felt pathetic.

Even when she'd finally found her voice again, it was thin and rasping.

"How mortifying…"

Hearing her speak, Laura's eyes flashed back to her roommate's face.

"Carmilla!" There was blood dripping down her lip, and Laura quickly pressed the wash cloth there to clear it. "Are you okay? All that blood-"

"Wasn't mine…" she sighed. "I mean, I drank it and threw it up. It's not like I was… wounded and bleeding from the inside or anything…"

Those words seemed to quell Laura's troubles a bit.

"Oh, thank god…"

She turned the wash cloth around, keeping the bloodied section away as she dabbed it over Carmilla's forehead once more, trailing it back down to the hollow of her throat. The dark-haired girl tried to shy away, but as much as she hated to admit it, she was in no condition to refuse the help.

But what happened next threw her off a _bit_ more than anything else.

Laura didn't really think as she did it, but she pulled Carmilla in to her, hugging her gently.

"Okay, I'm just… really glad you're alright now. Or- _mostly_ alright…" Carmilla was still shaking slightly, her breath still strained. "That was just… kinda scary to have to watch…"

Carmilla grunted in contempt.

"Yeah, well imagine how it _felt…_"

It was a soft voice, one that probably would have been inaudible if not for their close proximity now. It was… almost vulnerable, and Laura couldn't stop herself from tightening the embrace a bit.

Perhaps it was because she was too enervated to fight the girl off, or perhaps it was due to something else entirely, but Carmilla allowed the contact.

To Laura, that was yet another indicator as to just how fatigued the vampire girl was. Maybe she was taking advantage of the situation, but Laura held her a moment longer, until the trembling ceased.

Only when she felt Carmilla would start snarling that she was "fine now" did Laura sit back.

"Okay, now how about you brush your teeth? I'll clean up here."

Carmilla blinked her eyes back open, almost letting out a sound of displeasure or some word of argument. But she couldn't deny that the vile taste of that poisonous blood was still on her tongue, and she'd probably only get sick again if she let it linger.

So begrudgingly, she let Laura help her up again, guiding her to the sink.

As Carmilla brushed her teeth and washed her face, Laura did as she'd promised and flushed the toilet before cleaning it thoroughly, making sure no scent of blood remained.

Carmilla stalked back to her bed on her own, and Laura quickly rinsed and dried her hands off before following her out.

The dark-haired girl had kicked her boots off and climbed onto her bed, leaning her back against the wall. Her eyes had been closed until Laura emerged and spoke in a small voice.

"Are you… okay now?"

Somehow, Carmilla knew that if she lied, Laura would see right through her, and therefore, never shut up until she'd squeezed the truth out of her.

Carmilla blinked and met the girl's eyes for a second before her own went to the ceiling instead.

"I'm gonna have to get more blood tomorrow, and it feels like there are leeches squirming around in my stomach. So if you'd call _that_ okay, then yes."

Laura hesitated, but she was far from a taciturn person, especially if it involved helping others. A hand went to her neck before she crept forward, eyes clear with her decision.

"Then… if you need to, you could… have some of mine, I guess…"

The necessity of quenching her thirst now was almost impossible to deny, but Carmilla didn't want to seem desperate. She kept her voice level, unexcited.

"I mean... I guess if you're _offering_…"

There was a beat of silence before Laura took another step forward and sat on the edge of the bed.

Carmilla slid forward, reaching up to brush the girl's ponytail aside, exposing her shoulder. Her arms snaked around Laura's waist as she pulled her back.

Carmilla could already smell her blood just beneath the surface, and she found the old bite marks before sinking in.

There was only a bit of pain this time, but Laura had been expecting it, so it wasn't bad at all.

She had to admit that having Carmilla… like _this_ – hugging her from behind and sucking on her neck and breathing on her – was kind of intimate and a bit awkward.

But she pushed all of that aside, reminding herself this was for the better. For Carmilla's sake.

And the vampire knew this wasn't the time to be greedy. She only took what she needed - just a few sips - before removing her fangs. Though she kept Laura in her arms for a second longer.

"Your blood's so sweet…" she murmured huskily into the shell of her ear. "Guess it's all those cookies you eat. It's like a treat for me."

"Well, I'm... glad you like it," Laura said. "I try my best."

That earned a chuckle from Carmilla, and it was a sound Laura didn't think she'd ever heard before. It made her chest tingle.

Laura was glad she savored the sound, because it was short-lived. Another small gasp on her roommate's part had her turning around in Carmilla's embrace.

"Is your stomach still bothering you?"

Carmilla released her and laid herself down onto the bed with a sigh.

"Maybe…"

Laura scooched a bit closer.

"Close your eyes."

"Excuse me?"

"I think I can help."

It was in Carmilla's nature to think of a snappy reply.

But as she remembered all that had just happened tonight, all Laura had done for her…

"Fine," she shrugged. "Do whatever you want. I'm going to sleep." She closed her eyes, making it seem like she did so because she intended to sleep, not because Laura had asked her to.

"Great! You sleep, I'll do my thing."

Another sigh from Carmilla told Laura she could begin. She reached a hand out slowly until her palm made contact with Carmilla's shirt atop her stomach.

The vampire's eyes flew open again and she shot a glare at her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Just- trust me!"

Laura knew that might be asking a lot of her.

But when Carmilla closed her eyes again – wary as the action was – Laura thought that was a good place to start.

She traced her palm in slow circles over Carmilla's stomach, doing her best to fend off the unfavorable feelings that assaulted her roommate. Carmilla had been through a lot for one night, so Laura wanted to let her rest deeply.

And Carmilla couldn't deny that when she relaxed herself and focused on Laura's presence, it brought her a comfort she'd never experienced before in all her years on earth. The girl's ministrations were slow, and seemed to hold a magic of their own, brushing over every gnarled spot in her stomach until the pain unwound and vanished completely.

Trust wasn't something she gave to people often – if at all anymore.

But she thought – just maybe – this girl could be the first one in a few centuries to have that honor.

Carmilla didn't like falling asleep first; she never did. She hated the thought of people seeing her in her most defenseless state.

But with Laura… she didn't have much of a choice. Perhaps she wasn't too opposed, either.

And that provided more comfort than anything.

Laura waited, continuing her motions for several minutes, feeling Carmilla breathing softly.

When she realized the other girl had fallen asleep, Laura stood quietly, pulled the blankets over her, and retreated to her own bed. She turned off the light and curled herself up, falling asleep to the sounds of Carmilla's gentle breaths.

That night, they both slept soundly.

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><p><strong>AN: Who knows. Maybe I'll write some more for Carmilla? In fact I don't think it's much of a question anymore...**

**Please review!**


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